


Peace & Love

by loonierlovegood



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Jughead Jones, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, F/F, M/M, i fix everything wrong with the show and throw canon into the paper shredder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 03:37:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16778851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonierlovegood/pseuds/loonierlovegood
Summary: Riverdale is always a crazy place to be, but sometimes there's a lull in the storm, and it's a great time to go on a date. Archie gives Jughead a better birthday gift than Betty ever could have, and Veronica finally gets the guts to ask out Cheryl Blossom.Betty is kind of played as a villain in this, so if that's not your thing that's cool I guess. Don't like, don't read.Authorial comments abound because I get to be the narrator. Subtle mocking of the show is sprinkled throughout, as are movie adaptations that aren't a real thing yet.





	Peace & Love

Ah, the comfortable hangout spot. The place where Serpents and Bulldogs alike could get a break from the bullshit drama routinely invading Riverdale. Right now, it was the perfect place for a new couple, Jughead and Archie, to spend some time together before their day was consumed by classes and responsibilities. They sat together on one of the couches, enjoying each other’s company in the early morning silence.

Ping. Jug’s phone vibrated it in his pocket. He turned it on, more out of habit than anything. As always, the Serpent King was exhausted by trying to keep the peace. So far, the peace was determined to play hide-and-go-seek. 

It was Betty, as indicated by the contact titled “Betty the Bitch.” A lovely addition him and Archie had put together after Jug had broken up with Riverdale High’s patented “girl next door” Elizabeth Cooper. For someone who seemed so nice, she’d sure enjoyed stringing Jug along and risking his neck over mysteries that could be solved if she’d just looked a little closer to home. 

Nevertheless, in his fog of sleep deprivation, Jughead opened the text. 

Juggie, can we talk? I just think things could have worked out between us. Call me.

Closing his eyes and sighing, Jughead thought this day was already off to a pretty bad start. There were hundreds of texts just like it, too, almost one for every day since Jughead had told Betty that he didn’t think it was working. 

Archie was sitting right next to him, close enough that Jug could feel comfortable in his presence, but far enough that no one would suspect, so he easily read the text over Jughead’s shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s going to be ok,” Archie said, tilting his head to better look Jughead in the eye. “You can forget about her, because I have some plans for the two of us tonight.”

Despite the sense of gloom Betty’s text had brought, Jughead couldn’t help but smile a little. “I’m listening.”

“I know that throwing you a birthday party is small beans compared to the other shit Betty’s done to you, but I kind of wanted to do what you wanted this year. So, I have two tickets to The Summer of Jordi Perez at the Bijou,” Archie said, waving the tickets in front of Jughead’s face excitedly. 

“Put those down, you’re going to drop them,” Jughead said, looking at his shoes trying to hide the enormous grin on his face. “Guess I’m another year older, another year wiser if I dumped Betty for a boyfriend as great as you.”

“Come on, it’s only basic human decency,” Archie said, shrugging it off. “But I was planning to head to your trailer after.”

“You know me well then,” Jughead said, quirking an eyebrow. “There is nothing I love more than going directly home after a movie to spend quality time with my boyfriend.”

***

Cheryl Blossom sat at her lunch table, like she always did, surrounded by a group of her most faithful Vixens. They were her court, the ladies she trusted most out of everyone else in this sad excuse for a high school. She was busy keeping up with the affairs of the day, specifically those regarding the beautiful Veronica Lodge, when the lady herself decided to call. Sadly, the Lodge’s preferred seat at lunchtime hours was with Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, and no longer Betty Cooper. 

It was common knowledge that every red-blooded American boy in Riverdale had fallen for Veronica faster than a hummingbird’s wings, but no one ever seemed to mention that the red-haired Blossom heir had become enamored with her just as quickly. Toni had been a lovely distraction for Cheryl, but now that she had decided to end her time in Riverdale and her relationship with Cheryl in one blow, there was nothing to occupy the romantic side of Cheryl other than Veronica Lodge. 

“Hello, Cheryl,” Veronica said, twinkling eyes rendering Cheryl temporarily speechless. She stood close to the table, just so that she looked down upon Cheryl, her hair haloed by the fluorescent cafeteria lights. 

“Greetings and salutations, Veronica Lodge,” Cheryl responded, sitting up straighter in her seat as she tried to quell her more romantic emotions. 

“So, Archie and Jughead have forbidden me from tagging along on their”-she added in a stage whisper-“date, and I was wondering if you were free this evening. Kevin’s already doing something or someone, and you’re, well.” Her eyes roved up and down Cheryl’s body, and the redhead found it increasingly difficult to breathe. She waited for Cheryl’s answer. 

“Well, I do frequent Pop’s, typically around bottom of the eighth hour, so you may find me there.” Somehow, Cheryl’s panicking lesbian cranium had managed to set a date with Veronica.

“I will see you then, gorgeous,” Veronica replied. “Eight-thirty on the dot, and not a second later.” She winked, and strolled away from the table. 

Cheryl watched her go, seeing her hips sway underneath her skirt. Bottom of the eighth indeed, she would be there, milkshake in hand. Hopefully, this one would bring the girls, not the boys. 

***  
It was a good movie, one that Archie was happy to see, but hopefully later. Since it was Jughead’s birthday, and the theater was empty except for the two of them (Archie had neglected to mention to Jug that this was an early showing), there was really only one thing on his mind. 

Archie turned his face away from the movie screen so that he was looking at Jughead. He was entirely focused on the movie, but Archie thought that could change pretty quickly. 

He kissed Jug’s cheek, not a peck, but a solid smooch, and stayed there, face hovering an inch from his boyfriend’s. 

“Look, Arch, I’m trying to watch the movie,” Jughead said, “We can do that later.” Archie was starting to move away from Jug when the Serpent draped his arm around him. 

Comfortably, Archie laid his head on Jug’s shoulder. He wasn’t sure which would have been better:making out in the dark or watching the movie like this, snuggled up together. Jughead pressed a kiss to his forehead, and Archie let out a little sigh of contentment. 

The movie ended, with the best burger in Los Angeles found and the two girls happily together. Jughead and Archie watched the credits roll in a sleepy haze, not wanting to move away from each other’s warmth. 

Nevertheless, they got up and walked out of the theater, holding hands. At this hour, the only people out and about were those either getting murdered or witnessing the murder. Plus, Archie wasn’t a Serpent, and that made dating publicly too complicated for either of them. The darkness was safe.

When they’d made it out to the front of the Bijou, Archie took his phone out of his pocket. “Should I have my dad give us a ride to the trailer?”

“Absolutely not,” Jug said, rolling his eyes. “For one, we could walk, for two…” He led Archie over to the motorcycle parked next to the sidewalk. “...this’ll be a lot more fun.”

“You have got to be kidding me. There is no way I’m taking a ride on that death trap, especially not this late at night.” Archie dropped Jughead’s hand, walking backwards, away from the motorcycle.

Jughead shrugged, got on the bike, turned on his headlights, and revved the engine. “You coming?” He gave Archie a look, one that said that this Serpent had no qualms about biking back to his trailer and writing on his laptop alone. 

Veronica’s puppy-dog eyes had nothing on this. Archie hopped onto the bike behind Jughead, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s torso.

He put on the helmet Jug handed to him, and held on tight. “Please go slow.”

“I never go slow.” The motorcycle sped through the streets of Riverdale, the streetlights and signs a blur around them.

“Maybe you should,” Archie yelled over the sound of cool night air whipping past the motorcycle. 

Before he knew it, Jughead was pulling up to a stop in front of his and FP’s trailer. Still dizzy, Archie got off. He took off the helmet and shook out the helmet hair that had inevitably formed. 

“That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I still prefer my bike, though,” Archie said, following Jughead into the trailer. 

***  
Veronica gave herself a once-over in the mirror. More flawless than usual. Her mother had taught her well. She took a deep breath. It was just Pop’s with Cheryl. Veronica could make it through work dinners with her father, she could endure this.

Except Cheryl Blossom was the prettiest person Veronica had ever seen, and she couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her crimson waves of hair, full lips, and wide brown eyes. She never had a crush on anyone this bad, not even Archie. And thinking about how Cheryl’s hair was only a few shades off from Archie’s didn’t bother her in the slightest. 

It was an amicable split. Archie wanted to get out of the Lodge business and date Jughead. She wanted to focus on running the speakeasy and having a life that didn’t revolve around Archie or her father. Also, she wanted a girlfriend, craving the gentle touch and soft hands of a girl. 

So she asked out Cheryl, the girl she’d been enamored with since she’d walked through the doors at Riverdale High. The redhead had caught her eye, and Veronica had fallen for her in an instant. 

Her handbag was designer, and she was appropriately dressed for anything business-related that popped up, so Veronica headed out of the house. She didn’t bother with saying goodbye to her parents, too busy thinking about Cheryl. 

Andre was waiting in the car, like always. Did he even have a life outside of chauffeuring? She walked over, heels clicking on the driveway, and opened the passenger door for herself before he could. “Pop’s, and make it quick,” Veronica said, putting her seatbelt on. 

The light-up clock on the dashboard read 8:20. Normally, Veronica would mess around on her phone while she was delivered to her destination, but this time she looked out the window at the scenes of Riverdale. After a year here, she thought of it as her home, and it was. It was Veronica’s home more than New York was, and a quintessential part of the city was the familiar sight of Cheryl Blossom. 

Before long, she saw Pop’s neon sign. Veronica stepped out of the car and walked through the restaurant doors. Cheryl wasn’t there yet, so she ordered a milkshake at the counter and drank while she nervously watched the clock, waiting for Cheryl to arrive. 

When she entered Pop’s, Cheryl breezed past her, not even taking notice of Veronica before taking a seat in a booth and ordering from a waiter. Veronica’s breath caught in her throat. She was going on a date with Cheryl Blossom. 

The milkshake came, and Veronica took it in both her hands before approaching the table. 

“Hi, Cheryl,” she said, sliding into the red cushions opposite the redhead. 

Cheryl looked up from her cherry milkshake, almost looking surprised that Veronica was there. Veronica watched the straw fall from her red-lipsticked mouth. 

“I didn’t think you’d come,” Cheryl said. “But this is far less sad than drinking a milkshake alone.”

“I suppose, especially when you’re sitting across from the most beautiful girl in Riverdale,” Veronica said, smiling at Cheryl as she took a sip from her drink. 

“Are we talking about you or me?” Cheryl asked, playfully. The flirtations remark, and the look in Cheryl’s eyes made Veronica’s stomach flip over itself. 

“You,” Veronica said. “Because you look amazing tonight.”

“Don’t discount your own good looks, you’re too gorgeous for that,” Cheryl replied. “More luscious than this milkshake.” She took another sip from the cherry-flavored drink. 

Veronica laughed. “I could say the same about you.” The sentence hung in the air between them, and Veronica couldn’t take it anymore. The girl of her dreams was right in front of her, she didn’t have time to waste on flirting. Her lips abandoned the milkshake in search of Cheryl’s. 

Once she saw Veronica leaning towards her, Cheryl was a lost cause. She moved closer, every inch of her yearning to be closer to Veronica. 

Their lips met in the middle, eyes closed and hands reaching out to hold each other. It tasted like sweet milkshakes and young love. Veronica smiled a little, breaking their connection for a moment. 

And Cheryl couldn’t believe Veronica Lodge was kissing her. This had to be a dream, it was unreal. Veronica’s lips were so soft on hers, her tongue sliding into Cheryl’s mouth like it belonged there. She couldn’t believe this. It had to be a fling, an experiment in sexuality with the only openly gay girl in town. But it felt so damn right. 

Eventually, they both had to come up for air. “I’m curious,” Veronica said, “What’s your favorite flavor of lipstick?”

Cheryl was confused. “Don’t you mean color? Because there is this special line by-”

“-No, flavor,” Veronica said, kissing her again, this time bringing her hand up to caress Cheryl’s flushed cheek, the other one on the table, holding Cheryl’s. 

When they finally broke apart, Cheryl was full of questions. “Why?”

“So it tastes good when we’re kissing.” Veronica moved back a little, smiling shyly at her lap. 

“You want this to be a…long-term thing?” Cheryl asked, not sure if she should believe what her ears were telling her. 

“Of course. You didn’t think I invited girls on milkshake dates at Pop’s just to be friends, did you?” In the absence of Cheryl’s lips, Veronica took another sip from her drink. 

“Well, I was unsure as to your sexuality,” Cheryl said, shrugging once. “It seemed too good to be true.”

“Rest assured, the only thing you need to know about my sexuality is that I’m crazy for you,” Veronica said, leaning in to kiss Cheryl again. She’d never tried cherry milkshake before but, god, it was good. 

Cheryl backed away before they connected. “Would you like to try being girlfriends? I would quite enjoy it,” she said, gazing into Veronica’s deep brown eyes.

“Yeah, of course,” Veronica said, yearning written all over her face. “I’ve had a crush on you since my first day in Riverdale, and I don’t think I could wait a second longer to be with you.”

“That’s odd.” Cheryl raised her eyebrows. “I fell for you the second I laid eyes on you, even though I knew I wasn’t supposed to. You captured my thoughts.”

Her hands held Veronica’s on the table. They sat there in silence for a while, drinking in how good it felt to be there together, looking into each others eyes. The moment felt perfect, unruinable. 

Of course, Veronica’s ex-best friend and Cheryl’s third cousin was capable of ruining a lot of things. She stood herself in front of their table, giving Veronica the stink eye. 

“I see how it is, V. You’re done with me, so you decide to chat up my cousin. Don’t you know, she’s unstable. Losing a brother and a girlfriend did something to her. That’s really low for you, Veronica.”

“Betty,” Veronica said, taking a deep breath. She opened her mouth and said, slowly. “Get the fuck out of my restaurant before I throw you out.” She squeezed Cheryl’s hands on the table. 

“Excuse me?” Betty asked, as if it was unfathomable that she, Betty Cooper, beloved reporter of Riverdale, could be tossed out of Pop’s. 

“You heard me,” Veronica said coolly. “Don’t make me call my lawyer.” She was entirely serious. 

“Fine,” Betty said, turning on her heel before saying, “Just remember who your real friend is.” She left. 

“God, could she be any more dramatic?” Cheryl asked, rolling her eyes. “She acts like everything’s a TV drama. Your boyfriend broke up with you because you kept stringing him along. Get over it.”

Veronica smiled. “You’re absolutely right. I can’t believe someone as wonderful as you is related to someone as awful as her.” She paused, taking a second to consider her words. “So, do you want to go to my house after this? I can call Andre, and we could spend some time together.”

“Of course, I can’t pass up the opportunity to spend time with my girlfriend,” Cheryl said, trying the word on for size. 

It fit just right. “My parents aren’t home, so we can have a lot of fun,” Veronica said, leaning forward to kiss Cheryl again. 

***  
The second Jughead closed the trailer door behind him, he was kissing Archie. Not frantic, just enjoying being close to him, kissing him with all the love he had to give. It was a little awkward, since they were still exploring whatever this was, trying to figure out how best they fit together. 

Archie’s lips were softer than Betty’s, and Jughead adored how he, the five foot eleven linebacker, let Jug press him against the wall, gently moving his mouth over Jughead’s. They kept their mouths together, making their way over to the couch, where their making out turned to just cuddling. 

“We should tell secrets,” Archie said, looking a few inches in front of him at Jug. 

“I mean, this isn’t a middle school sleepover, but I do love you to pieces for doing this, so I guess,” Jughead said, smiling at Archie. “You start.”

“Ok, how about:when I was in like, second grade, my dad explained marriage to me, right. And the first thing I asked was if I could marry Jughead, because we never got in arguments and liked to spend time together. He just laughed and said ‘Sure, Archie, if that’s what you want.’”

Jughead laughed, burying his head in Archie’s chest. “I don’t know if I can top that, but I’ll try.” He looked at Archie. “Despite my love of food, I can’t cook to save my life.”

“Well, I would not have guessed that,” Archie said, raising his eyebrows. “The legendary eater, Forsythe Pendleton Jones the third, unable to cook.”

“Stop, I hate my full name,” Jughead said, looking at Archie like he’d never loved him more in that moment. “Just say your secret and go.”

“You’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had,” Archie said. “Actually, you’re the best person I’ve dated, period. Your turn.”

“Fine. Your stupid varsity letterman jacket looks hot,” Jughead said. “There. I said it.”

“I really want to kiss you,” Archie said, his eyes skipping down to Jughead’s lips. 

“I really want to kiss you,” Jughead replied, leaning forwards to kiss Archie, more passionately than he ever had before.

Archie pulled Jug closer to him, deepening the kiss. He planted kisses down Jughead’s neck, making him shiver under his touch, trailing them down to his collarbone. His hands moved down from Jughead’s waist to his hips, but then they stopped. 

“Here’s another secret,” Archie said, “I want to go all the way with you.” He looked Jug in the eye, eyes wide with yearning, patiently waiting for his response. 

“Well,” Jughead said, his tone tinged with sadness. “I love you so much. But I don’t think I’m ready for that, or if I ever want to do it. You’re wonderful, but I don’t think that’s something I’m going to want.”

“Ok.” Archie said, taking his hands and placing them on either side of Jughead’s face. “You know that I love you no matter what and that is completely ok with me. I know you have bad memories of doing it with Betty, and that’s fine. We can just kiss.”

“It’s not just Betty,” Jughead said. “Although she is part of it. I’ve been looking some stuff up online, and I figured something out about myself.” He sat up on the couch. 

Archie moved to sit in his lap, letting Jug wrap his arms around him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Yeah, I really do. Have for a long time.” Jughead leaned his head against Archie’s back. “I think I’m asexual. Sex was never something I wanted, I honestly cared about food more than getting into Betty’s pants when we got together, and the same for you. I like kissing, and hand holding, and dates, and all that, but I’d rather use my bed for sleep than anything else.” He took a deep breath. Jug hadn’t told anyone else about this yet, and he really hoped Archie still wanted to date him. He was pretty sure it wasn’t an issue, but it was a possibility. Would always be a possibility, no matter who he was with.

“That’s ok,” Archie said. “We don’t need to have sex for it to work. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me, and I don’t think you being ace is going to get in the way of that. He turned around to kiss Jughead, noticing the wetness in his eyes as he pulled away. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Jughead said. He gave Archie another peck. “This. Is. The. Best. Birthday. Ever.” He gave Archie a kiss in between every word. 

***

Andre drove them home, declining to comment as Cheryl and Veronica made out in the backseat. Veronica swore he was turning the car sharper just to send her and Cheryl colliding against the seats. She’d eschewed her seatbelt in favor of her girlfriend’s arms. 

Girlfriend. The word itself felt so good. 

They pulled into the Lodge driveway, and Veronica hopped out of the car,holding Cheryl’s hand and leading her into the house. 

“So, what do you want to do?” Cheryl asked as they walked down the halls of the mansion. Her tone suggested something deeply intimate. 

“Since it is our first date,” Veronica said, opening the door to the living room. “I was thinking we could make a blanket fort.’

“And?”

“Make out inside of it. What else?” Veronica pulled open a drawer under the couch and took out a heap of blankets. “You interested?”

“Of course,” Cheryl said, taking a blanket. “How should we do this?”

It took a little struggling, but before long they were snuggling on the floor, in their own little world of plush throws and pillows. Cheryl initiated the kiss this time, taking Veronica’s breath away. They rolled over each other, as if on impulse, laughing as their faces collided in the tumble. 

“I love this,” Veronica said, nuzzling Cheryl’s nose. “Just being teenagers, kissing each other like nothing else matters.”

“Because it doesn’t,” Cheryl said, smiling at the beautiful girl across from her. “Without happiness, what is life? And you make me happy, even when it’s just seeing your face out of the corner of my eye.”

They kissed again, as if to seal the words in a promise. “Well, now I know for sure that money can’t buy happiness,” Veronica said. “Because no amount of money in the world could make me happier than I am right now. Even the billions.”

“Money is overrated, because if you want to make a lot of it, you have to sell drugs,” Cheryl said, chuckling at her own joke. 

“Don’t we know that,” Veronica said, kissing Cheryl once again. 

***

And so, the narrator was no longer Jughead Jones, and there were two couples waking up that morning in each others arms, feeling comfortable and safe in a place that hadn’t felt that way in a very long time. 

Jughead’s father found him and Archie curled up together on the couch when he came home from spending a night with Alice Cooper. 

“Aw, my boys,” FP said. He leaned over and ruffled Jughead’s hair, making him stir but not awaken. “They’ve known each other for so long. Best friends, them and Betty.”

“I think Betty’s ex-boyfriend gave your son a hickey,” Alice said, the sentiment of the moment lost on her. “They’re cute, though.”

“Not surprised they fell asleep on the couch,” FP said, “They used to do that when they were little, and Archie would stay over for a sleepover. Now look at them.” Even Alice’s cynicism couldn’t deny how young and innocent, yet content they looked. Teenagers, with too much knowledge of how cruel the world could be. 

Across town, Veronica’s parents were out for the weekend, so she awoke to golden light streaming through the window and onto her bed. When the blanket fort inevitably collapsed last night, they moved into her bedroom to kiss and talk, nothing more. Last night was still their first date. 

Her hair was tangled with Cheryl’s on the pillow, the ebony leading into russet. The red looked brighter next to the black, colors vivid against the white sheets. Veronica etched the image into her memory, looking over at the still-sleeping Blossom. 

Cheryl’s eyes fluttered open before long, and she rolled over to see Veronica, her eyes still clouded with sleep. “Good morning, love.”


End file.
